Sarah's Magic
by Cloud Sage
Summary: Sarah discovers that magic can be found in her world. She just has to look for it.
1. Chapter 1

Sarah was very irritated. Why was she required to attend a long dinner and awards ceremony for her father's company when her father was not even getting an award? She would much rather stay home and look after Toby. Certainly she would not have said this several months ago, but she had come to appreciate Toby more after he was taken away from her. He was still just a baby, but he never objected when she told him over and over again about her time spent in another world. Her parents had quickly dismissed her wild tale as an overactive imagination and daydreams. They were impressed that she started to help out more and become more responsible, but they never connected her increased responsibility with what they believed to be the product of an overactive imagination. Toby, meanwhile, always seemed happy to hear about the labyrinth. She told him about her adventures and used different voices and faces and Toby would laugh with delight. There were other benefits to having a baby brother. Like getting out of going to long, boring awards ceremonies.

Sarah had tried every trick she knew to get out of going to the dinner, but in the end none of them worked. Her stepmother and father were not budging. Sarah had reluctantly agreed that she would go with them. Going to the dinner was not without its perks. Sarah's stepmother had taken her to buy a new dress several days earlier. The dress she had chosen was white with silver trim on the sleeves and the hem. It had reminded her strongly of the dress she worn when she was in the labyrinth.

One of the things which Sarah had noticed after returning from the labyrinth was that there were so many similarities between her world and the world of the labyrinth. The deep grey stone walls of the park she loved to visit were very similar to what the walls of the labyrinth itself had been made of. The little houses in the goblin city looked just like some of the older houses in her neighborhood. She had even run across a person who spoke just like Hoggle the other day. Of course, she could call her friends whenever she wanted to and there had been some very rowdy and enjoyable games with them which had lasted till midnight while no one else in the house was awake. It still was not the same as actually being in the labyrinth. She tried to surround herself with things which reminded her of the short time she had been there. Unfortunately it was difficult to find such strange objects in an ordinary world.

*****

The awards dinner was in one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. It was a tall, towering structure built out of white stone with huge windows. As Sarah and her parents left their car and walked up the neatly trimmed lawn towards the building, her father looked at his watch and remarked that it was good that they were so early, they were sure to get good seats at one of the front tables. However, when they got to the room where the awards would take place they found that they were so early that the doors were still tightly shut. After patiently waiting for several minutes, her parents gave Sarah permission to explore the rest of the grounds as long as she came back in time for the start of the dinner. After promising to be back at the correct time, Sarah walked in what she hoped was a dignified way towards the entrance. Once she was out of sight of her parents she broke into an eager run. She knew exactly where she wanted to go first.

When she was walking up the lawn she had noticed an extensive garden near the side of the building with pots of tall flowers marking the entrance to a pathway into the garden. She quickly exited the building and jumped down the last several stone steps. Her white shoes clicked on the stone as she walked around a fountain near the entrance to the building. She paused to admire the fountain and the sound the falling water made. So entranced was she by the fountain that when someone cleared a throat near her she jumped in surprise. She looked around in puzzlement for the source of the noise, but after she had circled the fountain twice she still had not seen anyone and she moved onward to the gardens.

Sarah brushed past the tall pots of flowers which marked the entrance to the garden and took a deep breath. The smell was wonderful. She could smell the sharp tang of recently cut grass, the lighter scent of jasmine, and several other flowers which she could not put names to. The garden was arranged in the English style with flowers in strict rows and a backdrop of hedges. She had always liked gardens to be a little on the wild side, but this one was pleasing enough with its many different colors and smells.

She walked between the rows of flowers and admired the complicated patterns formed by the different colors. For several minutes she wandered aimlessly until she spotted a small gate near one of the hedges. The gate was painted green and if the sun had not been casting such long shadows near the hedge then she would not have seen the gate. As Sarah went to see where the gate led to she almost turned around because she thought if the gate was so well hidden it was probably only meant to be used by the gardeners. When Sarah came to the gate she found no signs which warned her to keep out and she lifted the latch and closed the gate behind her.

After she turned away from the gate and saw what lay ahead of her she laughed. It was a hedge maze. A labyrinth of bushes. She walked up to the entrance of the maze. Before Sarah entered, she shut her eyes and called back the memory of the time she had entered the other labyrinth. As she thought about the creatures of the labyrinth, the cool wind which had blown over the stone walls, and the strange smell of a different world she wished that part of that world could be in this world. She slowly opened her eyes. As she saw that nothing had changed she sighed. She had been half hoping that something would happen.

The path along the labyrinth of hedges was dark and cool. The leaves of the neatly trimmed bushes left a sharp smell of greenery in her wake. She walked along the path of twists and turns and strangely shaped rocks. When she paused to consider which turn to take next, she studied one of the rocks. What she had taken to be a rock was actually a stone goblin. Sarah breathed in sharply and started to go back the way she had come to look at the other stones. The way she had come was blocked. She turned around again and more of the stone goblins were there. She started slowly towards the stone statues when she heard her own name breathed into her ear.

"Sarah…"


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah slowly turned around. For a moment there was nothing to be seen, but then she spotted the owl perched on top of the nearest bush. Pointing a finger at the owl she said, "You've been following me." She frowned at the bird and when it did not reply she asked "Why?" The owl fluffed up its brown and white feathers and glided down from atop the bush. As it got closer to Sarah it started to grow until the feathers became a cloak and the shape turned into a tall man.

Jareth spread his feathered cloak and bowed to Sarah. She opened her mouth to ask her question again, but he spoke before she could. "Before you ask any questions please listen to what I have to say." Sarah frowned, but stopped talking. He leaned closer to her and said "I have not come because you have not wanted it."

Sarah shook her head. "I don't understand" she told him.

Jareth swept his arms towards the rest of the garden. "The stone goblins, the hedges, all of this is here because you wanted it to be here. You created these things because you believed that they could really happen. Sarah, you have always had the power to make what you wanted happen. You defeated me because you believed that you could. You returned home because you knew you could, not because I sent you home."

"I was able to come to you today because you now, more than you ever did before, believe that I have no power over you. That is because it is the truth. If you wanted me to be gone I would vanish. The power of the imagination is not thought of as highly in your world as it is in mine. I ask only that you use your imagination for the best of intentions."

Jareth took a step back and waited in silence. Sarah slowly turned over this new information in her mind. She had no doubts that he was telling the truth. Even now she could feel the endless possibilities running through her mind.

Sarah pulled herself out of her mind and turned to Jareth. She knew that there was nothing she needed to say to him, he could see her understanding on her face. Once again he bowed to her and this time kissed her hand.

"Today I leave you as an equal in power Sarah" and with those words he disappeared.


End file.
